Q)Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Yestyn Griffith. I am 15 years old. I live in Henderson, Nevada (USA). And I am currently in my sophomore year at Basic High School. Music is the majority of my life. I play several instruments including the violin, requinto and of course the ukulele.Q) How long have you been playing the ukulele? I have been playing the ukulele for about a year and a half. But I had been playing violin for two years before I started ukulele.Q) What influenced you to start playing the ukulele? I honestly started the ukulele because my friend gave me a soprano (ukulele) that had been sitting in the corner of his house for who knows how long. I had almost no knowledge of the ukulele before that. It wasn’t till a few months later when I saw Jake’s (Shimabukuro) While My Guitar Gently Weeps video that I discovered what the ukulele was really capable of.Q)What are your ukulele playing strong points? I think that my strongest musical attribute is my ability to figure out songs by ear. I can figure out most chord progressions within seconds, and I can figure out melodies very quickly as well. I am also very good at improvising while playing with others.Q)What are your ukulele playing weak points? I find that my weakest point as a musician is my lack of character. All of the music that I play sounds like somebody else’s music. I have no real noticeable style or “mark”.

Q) What are your ukulele playing goals? In the future I hope to develop a distinct style that can be recognised by others. Other than that I just hope to keep playing and advancing.

Thanks Yestyn for giving us an insight into your playing. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from Yestyn in the future.

Ukulele 4 Kids invites other young players to share their playing with us.